Why it’s Double Trouble being a Mum and a Twin

Growing up as a twin was hard enough. The constant comparing, people always saying my name with a question mark at the end and having to share EVERYTHING was enough to drive any child crazy.

I honestly thought my twin issues were far behind me, and then I had kids. That’s when double trouble took on a whole new meaning!

Here’s my top 5 cons of being a Mum and having a twin sister.

1. “Two Mummies”

Every Mum knows they have an unbreakable bond with their child and that they are irreplaceable. They make a beeline for you when they are upset, you are the first person they want to see in the morning and the relationship you have is unique and special.

Well, that is unless you are 2 years old, half asleep and Mummy’s twin sister has come for a sleepover!

A couple of years ago, my sister came over when the kids were asleep to surprise them in the morning. Sleeping on the sofa bed in the lounge, she was woken up the next day by my daughter who proceeded to give her the nicest hug ever whilst they sat and watched a programme together.

An hour or so later I came downstairs, at which point my daughter realised she had in fact been sitting with her Aunt and not Mummy. She kept looking back and forth at us then simply pointed and said, “Two Mummies!”

I was devastated!

2. “Auntie Mummy”

You can’t get a haircut, ever!

When my eldest was about 2 years old, I decided to get a haircut whilst he was at Nanna’s house. When I went to pick him up, he looked completely confused and proceeded to spend the rest of the day on his best behaviour. Great, I thought to myself, a well behaved child for the rest of the day. It was only when he called me “Auntie Mummy” that I realised he wasn’t sure whether he was with me or his Auntie and that was the reason he was acting differently!

3. Mirror Mirror on the Wall

You have a constant reminder of how skinny you used to be and this is only magnified when your sister goes to do the school drop off.

As my sister used to live abroad, she was not a regular at the school gates. However, on moving back home she wanted to do the school run whilst I stayed in. When she came home she had a massive grin on her face and had barely stepped foot in the door before she burst into laughter and announced:

“I wasn’t going to tell you this but two women came up to me at school and commented on how much weight I’d lost because they thought I was you!”

Just what I wanted to hear!

4. She’s so Two Faced!

Friendships you have built up over the school year can be crushed in an instant without you even realising it!

Again, the arrival of my sister back in the UK confused quite a few people I know. Whether she had just returned from the school run or a trip into town, she would casually mention that a few people said hello or waved and that she had basically ignored them! For those people who didn’t know I was a twin, they would have just thought I was extremely two faced. Fanbloodytastic!

5. Good Cop vs Bad Cop

In the eyes of your kids, you are always bad cop. My sister is the good cop that doesn’t shout, they are always excited to see her, she is the cool one to boring old Mummy and always plays with them for hours on end without having to worry about tidying the house or cooking.

She will often take them out on special Auntie days and they really look forward to this. After all, there is a much bigger chance of getting a toy in the gift shop if Mummy isn’t around!

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Fortunately, there are many plus sides to being a Mum and a twin and these are clear to see with how comfortable my children are with my sister. When they are with her, I don’t have to worry at all as I trust her implicitly. She is the best free babysitter in the World!

(I just can’t wait until she has kids so I can go do the school drop off and be the skinny one!)